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Justice News

Overland Park Man Sentenced for $3 Million Marijuana Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to ship $3 million worth of marijuana through the mail for distribution in the Kansas City, Mo., area.

Justin Polson, 29, of Overland Park, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Polson to forfeit to the government $1.5 million, which represents the proceeds of his illegal drug trafficking.

On Sept. 19, 2017, Polson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana and to participating in a money-laundering conspiracy. Co-defendant James Mack, 38, of Westminster, Colorado, was sentenced on March 6, 2018, to five years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to the same charges. The court also ordered Mack to forfeit to the government $1.5 million.

Mack sent multiple pounds of high grade marijuana in five-gallon plastic buckets through the mail to Polson. Mack was sending anywhere from two to six buckets a week from September 2012 through May 2014. The buckets usually contained three pounds of marijuana per bucket. Between June 2014 and May 2015, Mack would send 40 pounds of marijuana per month to Polson.

Over the course of this conspiracy, Polson deposited approximately $3 million into Mack’s bank account as payment, in structured amounts below $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements.

Polson has already forfeited to the government a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette and a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro LT in a related civil case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.